Mrs Margaret Ewing

13 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what responsibility the European Union places on the Executive to ensure that there is a legislative framework for the diagnosis and treatment of any form of mental illness and what directives apply in this respect.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: There are no European Union Directives which place responsibilities on the Executive to ensure that there is a legislative framework for the diagnosis and treatment of any form of mental illness.</p>

12 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many dwellings are unoccupied, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The latest availableinformation on unoccupied dwellings – i.e. dwellings which are not the sole ormain residence of a household – comes from council tax billing systems at 6 September 2004.The table distinguishes unoccupied dwellings which were exempt from co…

12 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people reside in temporary accommodation; how long the average stay is in temporary accommodation, and what its definition is of temporary accommodation.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Accounts Commission has collectedinformation on the total number of households placed in temporary accommodationduring the year by local authorities under the Homeless Persons’ legislation andthe average length of stay. This information has been used as k…

12 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the average number of times a year was that a family in temporary accommodation moved from one type of temporary accommodation to another in each year since 1999.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Councils supply data on eachapplication under the Homeless Persons legislation and these include, in those caseswhen a household spends time in temporary accommodation, the types of temporaryaccommodation occupied by the household in the course of their appli…

12 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it has any plans to introduce homestead schemes similar to those piloted in England and Wales.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Executive has no plans to promote homestead schemes similar to those piloted in England and Wales. There is already experience of homesteading in Scotland. Glasgow District Council introduced homesteading, in Easterhouse, in 1981. Analysis of the long-ter…

6 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many families of (a) three, (b) four, (c) five, (d) six and (e) seven or more people have resided in (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three and (iv) four-bedroom accommodation in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The Scottish Household Survey collects information on the number of people and the number of bedrooms for each household in the sample. This has been carried out every year since 1999, however, the annual sample sizes for many local authorities are very small…

6 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what difficulties it has encountered in implementing its pledge to give everyone the right to a home by 2012.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Scottish ministers are required to make a statement by the end of 2005 on the steps which have been, are being and will be taken to ensure that every unintentionally homeless person is entitled to home by 2012.</p> <p>We will consult on this issue in the summ…

6 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it defines overcrowding with regard to accommodation.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The definition of overcrowding is dependent on its use. Part VII of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 defines a house as overcrowded if it fails either of two tests. The room standard is contravened when two people of opposite sexes, who are not living as husba…

6 Apr 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many people have been classified as homeless in each year since 1999, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: The numbers of households assessed as homeless under the homelessness legislation by local authorities in 2002-03 and 2003-04 are published in table 11 in the Scottish Executive Statistical Bulletin <i>Operation of the Homeless Persons Legislation in Scotland…

7 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will roll out the one-stop shops for adults with autistic spectrum disorders.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Scottish Executive is funding two projects which are in the early stages of developing one-stopshops for adults with autistic spectrum disorders.  Funding includes an elementfor evaluation, which is intended to assist other areas in developing models ofse…

7 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to develop clinical guidelines for adults with autistic spectrum disorders.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: Clinical guidelines are developedby the SIGN Council, which is independent of the Scottish Executive. A SIGN guidelinefor autistic spectrum disorder is currently being developed for children and youngpeople up to the age of 18 years. The guideline will addres…

2 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many suicides that took place between 1997 and 2004 were as a result of school bullying.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The General Register Office for Scotland records causes of death including suicide. It does not record the reason for suicide. The Scottish Executive holds no further data on the reason for suicide. The Scottish Executive maintains a close interest in cases o…

2 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how it monitors and records the incidence of school bullying.

Answer · Peter Peacock: It is for education authorities to develop and implement anti-bullying policies and decide how incidents of bullying should be monitored and recorded. There is no national data collection on school bullying.</p><p>The Scottish Executive draws on data from int…

2 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many anti-bullying services are operational in schools; how many pupils utilise these services, and how much they cost to fund.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive made a recommendation in <i>Better Behaviour – Better Learning (2001)</i> that schools should involve pupils in buddying and mentoring schemes, which can help to combat bullying. We are aware that this recommendation is being implemente…

2 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the levels of pupil truancy are for (a) primary and (b) secondary schools, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The information requested waspublished in chapter 4 of <i>Attendance and Absence in Scottish Schools, 2003-04</i>and is available on the Executive’s website: <ahref="http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bulletins/00382-00.asp">http://www.scotland.gov.uk/stats/bul…

2 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many pupils have been expelled from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in the last year, broken down by (i) reason for expulsion and (ii) local authority area.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The number of pupils are shown in the following tables</p> <p>Number of Pupils Removed from The Register, by Reason For Removal^*, 2003-04</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=436> <thead> <tr> <td> <p> </p></td> <t…

2 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when updates and reports will be made available on the betterbehaviourscotland webpage.

Answer · Peter Peacock: The Scottish Executive plansto make new content available on the betterbehaviourscotland website regularly duringthe school year, from the summer term of 2005. At present, all major policy documentsrelevant to promoting positive behaviour are published on the…

1 Mar 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what plans it has to introduce proposals that would ensure that all licensed establishments offered reasonably-priced soft drinks and made water free to their customers.

Answer · Tavish Scott: The Licensing (Scotland) Bill, published on 1 March 2005, proposes that licensed premises should provide tap water free of charge and that other non-alcoholic drinks must be available for purchase at a reasonable price. Both conditions would apply to premises…

24 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is satisfied with the operation of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 and what difficulties have been encountered since the act came into force.

Answer · Hugh Henry: The Scottish Executive funded a two year project to monitor the implementation of the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000. This was carried out by Alzheimer Scotland – Action on Dementia, working in partnership with the Scottish Development Centre for …

24 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many cases have been brought to court under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000.

Answer · Hugh Henry: Figures provided by the Office of the Public Guardian (OPG) indicate that the number of cases brought to court under the Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 to 31 December 2004 are as follows:</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3 width=469> …

8 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive when it will announce a decision on the route of the A96 Fochabers-Mosstodloch by-pass following the public local inquiry completing its findings over eight months ago.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: A decision will be announced soon.</p>

8 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what the total cost was of holding the public local inquiry into the A96 Fochabers-Mosstodloch by-pass.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The administrative costs for holding the inquiry including the reporter’s travel and subsistence; the hire of the halls and the advertising of the inquiry was £7,300. The inquiry was conducted by a full-time reporter from the Scottish Executive Inquiry Report…

8 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what progress is being made following the public local inquiry into the route of the A96 Fochabers-Mosstodloch by-pass.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: The process of considering the report of the public local inquiry is at an advanced stage and I expect to be in a position very soon to announce a decision on whether or not the scheme should proceed.</p>

4 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive whether it is now able to provide the full costs of individual learning accounts (ILA) and the number of applicants who have sought such support to date, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Jim Wallace: The total cost to date (since 2003-04) for ILA Scotland is £6.2 million. This figure incorporates system development, quality assurance and marketing, project development and management costs and operational costs since scheme launch in December 2004.</p><p>T…

4 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what estimates it has made of the weekly expenditure required for nursing or respite care per week per person in residential homes for the elderly.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The Care Development Group calculated the nursing care element for people in a care home to be £65 per week and the personal care element at £145 per week. The total rate per person per week for residential care, including respite, will vary but the nationall…

4 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many residential and respite care homes for the elderly there are, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Rhona Brankin: The table shows the number of care homes for older people, by local authority. This information is taken from the September 2004 Scottish Care Home Census, the results of which were published on 1 March 2005.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <…

1 Feb 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what consultation is being undertaken in respect of a national bus pass for elderly and disabled people and who is responsible for conducting such a consultation.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: On 21 February my officials met representatives from local government and the bus industry as they will have a key role in making sure that the transition from the current local schemes to the national scheme is achieved smoothly and to time. The organisation…

31 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many proposals for wind farm developments are currently being considered by ministers, broken down by local authority area.

Answer · Allan Wilson: Scottish ministers are currently considering 24 applications to construct and operate windfarms. A break down in terms of local authority area is summarised in the following table.</p><table border=1 cellspacing=0 cellpadding=3> <thead> <tr> <td> <p>Loc…

31 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive what discussions have been held in the last year regarding the possibility of buying out the PFI at Inverness Airport and what plans it has in respect of the enhancement of services around the airport, in particular the provision of transport links to Inverness.

Answer · Nicol Stephen: Discussions have been held with Highlands and Islands Airports Limited (HIAL) on several occasions – at official and ministerial level - over the last year regarding the review of the PFI contract at Inverness airport terminal and the impact of a buy-out on t…

31 Jan 2005 · Written Question

To ask the Scottish Executive how many tied houses there are in each local authority area; what percentage of housing stock this represents, and how many families have not had security of tenure in each such area in each of the last five years.

Answer · Malcolm Chisholm: Information on the number of tied houses and families who do not have security of tenure is not available centrally.</p><p>Information on tied households is available from the 2002 Scottish House Condition Survey, but data are not available for the last five …